The Bourbon Reforms (Spanish: Reformismo borbónico, lit. 'Borbonic reformism') were a series of political and economic changes promulgated by the Spanish Crown beginning with Charles III and continuing under various kings of the House of Bourbon, mainly in the 18th century. The beginning of the new Crown's power with clear lines of authority to officials contrasted to the complex system of government that had evolved under the Habsburg monarchs. The crown pursued state control over the Catholic Church in Spain and throughout the global Spanish Empire, pushed economic reforms, and placed power solely into the hands of civil officials, paving the way for the Enlightenment in Spain. The reforms resulted in significant restructuring of administrative structure and personnel. The reforms were intended to modernise Spain through stimulating manufacturing and technology.

In Spanish America, the reforms were designed to make the administration more efficient and to promote economic development. In terms of the relationship between the Spanish Crown and its American colonies, the reforms functionally aimed to transform juridically semi-autonomous groups into proper colonies. Specifically, the reforms sought to increase commercial agriculture, mining, and trade. The system became much more hierarchal, forcing the colonies to become more dependent on Spain and serve as a market for Spanish manufactured goods. The crown ordered these changes in hopes that it would have a positive effect on the economy of Spain. Furthermore, the Bourbon Reforms were intended to limit the power of Criollos and re-establish peninsular supremacy over the colonies.

The reforms achieved mixed results administratively, but alienated the local elites of the Americas (who called themselves Criollos) and eventually led to the independence of all overseas dominions of the Spanish crown. This is not to say that a clean and straight line can be drawn from the Bourbon Reforms to the movements for independence, but rather that the period of unrest that came in the wake of the reforms helped encourage the conditions necessary for local riots, and eventually revolts.

At the end of the 17th century, Spain was an ailing empire, facing declining revenues and the loss of military power, ruled by a weak king, Charles II, who left no successor. Even before his death in 1700, the European powers were already positioning themselves to see which royal house would succeed in placing someone on the Spanish throne and thereby gain its vast empire. Louis XIV of France asked for and received the Pope's consent for his grandson, Philip, Duke of Anjou, a great-nephew of Charles, to take the throne. On his deathbed, Charles willed the crown to the French-born successor, but an international conflict ensued, known as the War of the Spanish Succession, which lasted from 1702 to 1713 and pitted Austria, England, and other European countries against the French House of Bourbon.

Under the terms of the 1713 Peace of Utrecht, which ended the War of the Spanish Succession and secured Philip V's position on the Spanish throne, the new Bourbon dynasty of Spain was forced to make several territorial concessions to foreign powers. This included ceding several of Spain's European territories (including the Habsburg Netherlands) to Austria and Gibraltar and Menorca to Great Britain. Spain also granted the Asiento de Negros, a monopoly contract which allowed the holder to sell African slaves in Spanish America, to the British government, which subsequently gave the contract to the newly formed South Sea Company.

Philip V took measures intended to counter the decline of Spanish power called the Bourbon Reforms. Even before the War of the Spanish Succession, the state of the Spanish Empire was precarious. When Charles II died, the military was practically nonexistent, consisting of only one division; the treasury was bankrupt; and there was no state promotion of commerce or industry. Philip V and his ministers needed to act quickly to reconstruct the empire.

The new Bourbon kings kept close ties with France and used many Frenchmen as advisors. French innovations in politics and social manners never fully replaced Spanish laws and traditions but became an important model in both areas. As a result, there was an influx of French goods, ideas, and books, which helped spread the ideas of the Enlightenment throughout the Spanish world. Imperial rivalry and competition was also a large factor of the Bourbon Reforms, and since France was the more dominant power, the Spanish tried to compete with their intellectual power. In a sense, all things French came into fashion during the subsequent century and gave rise to a new type of person, the afrancesado, who welcomed the new influence. Additionally, during the War of the Spanish Succession Spanish America's ports were blockaded by the British and Dutch navies. Spain turned to France for help with the export of its goods, which was the first time in Spanish colonial history that legal trade occurred with a foreign nation. Prior to this, trade between Spanish America and non-Spanish Europeans had all occurred on illicit trade circuits. The new commercial relationship stimulated the colonial economy, especially that of Chile.

The early reforms were aimed at improving the economic and political structure of Spain. They sought to modernize agriculture, construction of ships, and infrastructure to monitor and incite economic integration and development on a regional and national level. The Spanish were caught in an ever tightening noose of imperial rivalry abroad with Britain, France and Portugal, which were all fighting for domination over Atlantic trade. Spain's problems with its neighbor were the biggest concern, and the Spanish Bourbons made constant short-term adjustments to colonial and increasingly, continental war-making. War was inevitable as the hegemonic powers were pinned against each other in a quest for expansion. This hindered the nationalization of industries and so disrupted the class system. For example, mercury, a Spanish import, was an essential resource for extracting silver in the mining process, but the French naval blockade^[when?] dramatically limited imports in Spanish America. As a result, silver plunged downward and mining slumped^[when?], which caused revenue to decrease. Ultimately, in 1805, the highland mining districts exploded in revolt. Therefore, it was not the Bourbon Reforms that failed, but rather the role of the conflicts at home that resulted in failure.